Leinster are also top of the ERC European Rankings, which determine the tiers of the clubs who have qualified for European club rugby’s premier competition, and are joined in Tier 1 by three other Heineken Cup winners in Toulouse, Munster and Leicester Tigers.

Cardiff Blues and Biarritz Olympique, both former Heineken Cup finalists, complete the top group of six.

Once the Tier 1 clubs have each been allocated a different Pool no club from the same Tier will be drawn in the same Pool and no Pool will have more than one club from the same country with the exception of England, as there are seven English teams.

The draw will launch the countdown to a tournament which will climax at Twickenham Stadium on the weekend of 19 / 20 May, 2012, with the 17^th Heineken Cup final.

CLUBS AND TIERS

TIER 1 – Leinster, Toulouse, Munster, Cardiff Blues, Biarritz Olympique, Leicester Tigers
TIER 2 – Northampton Saints, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys, Bath Rugby, Harlequins, London Irish
TIER 3 – Ulster Rugby, Saracens, Gloucester Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Scarlets, Edinburgh
TIER 4 – Connacht Rugby, Benetton Treviso, Castres Olympique, Montpellier, Racing Metro 92, Aironi Rugby

BASKING in the glory of last weekend's remarkable triumph, the jokes have been flying around Leinster this week ahead of this evening's Magners League Grand Final clash with Munster at a sold-out Thomond Park (5.05).

One particularly cruel one involved the Drug Squad being called to Thomond Park yesterday only for the crisis to be averted when it was established that the suspicious white powder on the pitch was in fact the Leinster tryline.

The most remarkable statistic heading into this latest instalment in one of the most compelling rivalries in rugby is that Munster have not managed to cross the Leinster line in their last six meetings, failing to score a try since Denis Fogarty managed the feat back in April 2009. Not to be sniffed at.

It is rendered all the more puzzling by Munster's average of two tries per game during their regular season league campaign (44 in 22 matches) as they worked their way impressively to a record 13-point margin at the head of the table.

Leinster's defensive surety has been the bedrock upon which this season's success has been constructed, with last Saturday's three-try collapse in the first half of the Heineken Cup final against Northampton an aberration, swiftly put to bed in the second half when they did not concede a single point.

However, those events could provide a clue as to how things will unfold in Limerick a week later. Northampton profited from Leinster not being at the races in that first period, seemingly unnerved by the big-day pressure and their status as overwhelming favourites. They take to the pitch today as the stronger side seeking to become the first team to complete a Magners-Heineken double.

The question marks centre on their psychological state for, no matter how hard they try to maintain their mental focus for the final chapter of a long season, getting to the same level of intensity they had in the second half against Northampton is a major challenge. Cardiff is a hard act to follow.

For Munster, the psychological test is far simpler. Conclude the season with a trophy which recognises both their league consistency and determination to remain a major force in European rugby regardless of their Heineken and Challenge Cup disappointments this season.

It is safe to assume that, with two weeks of solitary focus behind them, Tony McGahan's men will be at full tilt this evening, just as they were when willpower drove them to victory in their April meeting with Leinster at the same venue.

The problem is that, even if Leinster are at 75pc, the visitors still have the capacity to produce spells of rugby that can leave any team clutching at air and, in keeping with his selections all season, Joe Schmidt has picked a clever side for his last outing in a stunning debut season.

Gordon D'Arcy was not available to start in any case, but Fergus McFadden's selection at inside-centre provides him with the ideal opportunity to send out a powerful message to Ireland coach Declan Kidney as the clock ticks down to the World Cup.

Similarly, Shane Jennings is rewarded for his critical contributions to Leinster's victories in the semi-final and final of the Heineken Cup and if he manages to help effect superiority at the breakdown against Ireland's incumbent No 7, David Wallace, it will give Kidney further food for thought.

Heinke van der Merwe is of no use to Kidney, but, while the South African is not as dynamic as Cian Healy in the loose, he is an accomplished scrummager and his performance could provide an insight to John Hayes' capacity to play a role at New Zealand 2011.

McGahan has stuck with the side that ground its way past the Ospreys in the semi-final, which means Danny Barnes, the two-try hero that day, suddenly finds himself marking Brian O'Driscoll, the best centre of his generation.

Barnes and Lifeimi Mafi face a massive defensive test against the Leinster midfield and the tackles need to go in hard and, in Mafi's case, low enough to prevent yellow cards.

There is talent in the Munster backline, and the back-three play since the return of Felix Jones from injury has shown what can be done with the right combination of belief and attacking brio.

However, Schmidt is among the foremost backline innovators in the game and Munster do not have his coaching equivalent, making it harder to end the try-scoring famine that has hindered them in this fixture.

If Marcus Horan and Hayes can provide a steady scrum and Damien Varley takes advantage of Munster's extra height at line-out time, then it is game on.

The Final Trial element to the clash provides extra incentive for both teams and, if McFadden and Jennings will be bulling for Leinster, then it is safe to say Wallace, James Coughlan, Donnacha Ryan, Conor Murray and Jones will be equally ferocious for the hosts.

Then there is the Ronan O'Gara factor. The out-half will have watched Jonathan Sexton's tour de force in Cardiff with a wry smile for it used to be O'Gara doing the Roy Of the Rovers bit in the Heineken Cup (he was voted the best player of the first 15 years of the competition) and garnering the plaudits afterwards.

Predictions are hazardous in the extreme. Leinster are the better side, but face the greater mental challenge, Munster have last-chance-saloon intensity and a stronger bench, but not the capacity to cope if Schmidt's men hit battle speed.

Expect a furious contest, O'Gara and Coughlan to play key roles for the home side, along with McFadden and Jennings for the guests and very little in it come the final whistle, which may just herald a narrow Leinster win.

Of course, if Munster do manage it, the joke is on Leinster's fans as their red counterparts can revel in the glory of beating the best team in Europe. We'll see.

Verdict: Leinster

- Hugh Farrelly

Irish Independent

If you could have scripted a fixture to crown the season, this would most definitely have been it. And if anyone out there thinks that there is a single member of the new European champions dreading the trek to Limerick, then think again.

They could well lose this afternoon, but every single Leinster player will be licking his lips at the prospect of this Magners League Grand Final showdown at Thomond Park.

This is tribal rivalry at its very best -- a fixture where form is meaningless, where passion rules.

For Tony McGahan and Munster, it is a heaven-sent opportunity to turn over the top team in Europe and take the Magners League crown they clearly deserve, given that they finished 13 points clear in the table.

For Leinster coach Joe Schmidt, opportunity knocks to create history and complete the fairytale double in his first season in charge.

And then there is Ireland coach Declan Kidney, for whom the most perfect unofficial final trial unfolds before a full house, with a no-holds-barred encounter set to shed light on some World Cup selections.

Schmidt is right when he calls the Celtic final a much "tougher test" than the Heineken Cup decider. That is no slight on Northampton, just a statement of fact, given the ingredients.

Jealous

Munster are fresh, hungry and jealous -- as well as high on confidence, given their one-point win (24-23) in the home league fixture six weeks ago.

The fact that they didn't score a try and haven't in half a dozen attempts against their old rivals (an extraordinary statistic) may rankle, but they won't care a jot if Ronan O'Gara kicks them to victory this evening.

The Heineken Cup final was a classic, the best I have witnessed, but this evening's Celtic encounter also has all the right ingredients for a monumental encounter. It should replicate Cardiff for thrills and spills, with an intensity that is absolutely guaranteed.

The one-try game back in April was pure theatre and, irrespective of the outcome, I would settle for that again. One way or the other, we won't be disappointed -- take that as read.

So, what exactly can we expect?

A Leinster side that wants to win is coming to Limerick with the intention of ransacking a Munster side that has to win. With 19 victories from 22 games in the regular league, the best team over the course of the marathon campaign is desperate to complete the job now.

I have mixed views on the play-off formula. When it was first introduced to the All-Ireland League, I felt it was unfair that the team that had proven it was the best, by finishing top of the table, had to win it again -- to be sure, to be sure.

The play-off system is now part and parcel of the professional game. It is not so much a necessary evil as an extension to the long-term planning when the initial team goals are set.

To draw comparison with long-distance running, it's about pacing, about planning for the season and selecting teams throughout the campaign (in regular league and play-offs) accordingly.

What is beyond dispute is that the two best teams in the competition by a mile (those finishing first and second in the table) have made it through to today's finale, with Munster deserving of home advantage.

The attendance would have been doubled if the final had been switched to the Aviva Stadium, but that would have been unfair in the extreme -- unless the decision is made that the Grand Final should always be held in a predetermined venue (much like the Heineken).

We won't bother going through all the obvious unit and individual match-ups -- they are old hat at this stage. But, for some, the stakes are extremely high, given the switch in focus after today to New Zealand 2011.

Marcus Horan, Damien Varley, James Coughlan and Felix Jones all have a chance to lay down a World Cup marker.

For Leinster captain Leo Cullen, the stage is set to take on Donncha O'Callaghan and make it a case of either/or to partner Paul O'Connell in the second-row against the US Eagles in the World Cup opener.

Shane Horgan, Luke Fitzgerald and Fergus McFadden (who edges closer by the game) can all further their case for a place on the plane. So, too, Shane Jennings, whose half-time introduction at the Millennium Stadium last week certainly played a part in Leinster's remarkable turnaround.

He and Denis Leamy have so much to play for beyond the 'mere' result this afternoon. But make no mistake, the result is the be all and end all to putting the cap on this fulfilling Irish rugby season.

And please may we be spared the hype of heaping more pressure on the relatively young shoulders of Jonathan Sexton in advocating him for future captaincy.

He has enough on his plate, as O'Gara will be reminding him again, without this pressure at a still premature stage in his burgeoning career. In a sense, current Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll did him few favours with his throwaway line in the post-match interview last week about half-time speakers.

Sexton's focus is on copper-fastening his hold on the Ireland No 10 jersey and that's what he will do in ensuring a steady Leinster course by deeds not words today. It is his way and I doubt he will deviate one iota.

As to the outcome? Both teams will turn up with equal mindsets. If each delivers to form, then Leinster's greater creativity could see them home.

It should be something special. Bring it on.

- Tony Ward

Irish Independent

Toulouse set for Sunday

English challengers Leicester and Northampton will play on different days of the Heineken Cup quarter-final weekend later this season.

Tigers' clash against Leinster - a repeat of the 2009 final - will take place on Saturday, April 9 at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, with a 6pm kick-off.

Top seeds Saints, meanwhile, will face Ulster at the stadium:mk in Milton Keynes the following day at 2pm.

Perpignan's quarter-final against Toulon is set for the 55,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on the Saturday, with Sunday's action concluded by Heineken Cup holders Toulouse facing Biarritz at Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian.

The semi-finals see Leinster or Leicester facing Biarritz or Toulouse, with Northampton or Ulster meeting Perpignan or Toulon.

Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal has accused European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) of rigging the draw for the Heineken Cup semi-finals to benefit Pool 2 winners Leinster.

The controversial owner said in La Provence that he had sent a letter to ERC asking for an explanation and evidence of the draw, which he said had not been shown on French television.

That lack of tv coverage sparked rumours in France the draw was done behind closed doors, although it is believed neither Boudjellal nor any of the other French club bosses were aware the draw was live on Sky.

“By chance, the province of Leinster will not only be home for their quarter final, which they won sportively, but for the semi-final too,” said the Toulon boss.

“Is it a coincidence ERC headquarters are to be found in Dublin? On behalf of Toulon and all the other French clubs we are prepared to shine a light as to why the draw was conducted in secret. That’s why we did what we did (in sending the letter). We’re ready to do everything necessary.”

An ERC spokesperson stated that the clubs concerned were informed the draw would be broadcasted live on the British channel ‘Sky Sports’ and on the ERC website.

“(France 2 show) Stade 2 was then to transmit a delayed broadcast of the draw as was the case. Last year the draw of the semi-finals appeared on Stade 2 as the final was in Paris.”

Cronin: In Ireland squad

IRELAND coach Declan Kidney was handed some good news ahead of tomorrow's preliminary Six Nations squad announcement as Ulster and Leinster allayed injury fears regarding Rory Best and Gordon D'Arcy.

D'Arcy was due to start Leinster's win over Saracens in the RDS but was withdrawn late on due to a calf injury.

However, the centre has not been ruled out of this weekend's trip to Paris to face Racing Metro and a decision on his availability, and that of No 8 Jamie Heaslip, will be made when the team is named on Thursday.

Best was forced from the field in Ulster's narrow win over Biarritz with a rib injury, but Ulster yesterday refused to rule the hooker out of this weekend's trip to Italy to face Aironi in a match that could see the province secure a spot in the last eight of the Heineken Cup for the first time since they won the competition in 1999.

Best's fitness is particularly crucial to Kidney as the luckless Jerry Flannery continues to struggle with injury, though Sean Cronin and Damien Varley provide cover while Ulster's Nigel Brady would be most likely to come into the squad should they suffer any further injuries at hooker.

Full-back is the major area of concern. Geordan Murphy ruled himself out of the Six Nations campaign with an ankle injury while Connacht's Gavin Duffy is in a race to recover in time for the opening match of the tournament in Italy on February 5.

Rob Kearney is still recovering from a knee injury picked up in the Autumn International defeat to the All Blacks.

However, Luke Fitzgerald, who picked up a similar injury to Kearney in the same match, is an option and he completed 80 minutes on the wing for Leinster on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Munster's Donnacha Ryan is a worry as he was on crutches on Sunday night in the wake of the defeat to Toulon.

Kidney will name at least 30 players in his squad tomorrow while an 'A' squad for the clash against Scotland on January 28 will also be announced.

- Donnchadh Boyle

Irish Independent